Americans’ awareness of the societal shortcomings of “DEI” philosophy is becoming increasingly apparent. Positions of influence and authority are best filled by persons with knowledge, experience and communication skills for the role. As we approach a prospective change in governance, a need for voters to discriminate between equal opportunity and equal outcome is particularly evident. The up-front, most visible players in our government largely symbolize minorities in the population of the governed rather than qualified role-specific choices for their assigned responsibilities. They become spokespersons for the unelected bureaucrats they supposedly lead – like a specialized surgeon’s work being supervised by a hospital orderly or medical-school student. The worst situation may be illustrated by exclusive government administration by officials of the same party. Every issue immediately becomes subject to Congressional politicization, and counterproductive tension becomes the norm in getting important responsibilities resolved on a timely basis. If Congress can’t narrow the figurative width of the dividing aisle Constitutional authority of a periodically elected, 535-member United States Congress appears subject to further erosion as a current federal administration threatened by prospective voter rejection in November strives to effect prompt policy change by unilateral executive order. This controversial strategy has gained favor under recent predecessor regimes frustrated by legislative gridlock in narrowly divided House and Senate chambers. General public confusion about government anticipation of and response to increasingly complex and threatening domestic and international stress has become redefined in four-year intervals of course correction. Political observers wonder whether long-term policy consistency lies in more unified voting results or will be the consequence of some precipitous, cataclysmic event, internal or external. This pervasive climate of public anxiety is the stage setting for the coming Electoral College outcome for our democracy. Both major political camps have amassed record campaign war chests to promote their respective “brands.” Consumers must hope for a clearly decisive outcome that can serve to re-establish consensus as to the “American way” of societal advancement. Phil Osifer